1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to compositions for freshening or deodorizing carpets, upholstery, drapes, and other fabric or similar surfaces and to a method utilizing such compositions. More particularly, this invention relates to compositions which are adapted for dispensing from valved dispensers, in the form of foam, for easily and visibly applying to fabrics, including carpeting, drapes and upholstery, a freshening or deodorizing active ingredient, and which after application, is quick drying to the touch.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art and Problems to be Solved
Many fabrics installed in the home or office, such as wall to wall carpeting, stretched fabric on ceiling or walls, upholstery, drapes, and the like, absorb cooking odors, pet odors, smoke odors, and other often obnoxious or otherwise unpleasant odors. Although these fabrics may be clean from the perspective of being free of color changing dirt, the odors they absorb render them not fresh. Since they can not be easily removed for cleaning or freshening they present a challenge for most homeowners and for many office workers.
Currently, fabric freshening products are commercially available as either powder, water based pumps or aerosol products. Powder products, while having the advantage of being relatively easy to visualize the areas of application, have the drawbacks that they tend to leave a residue powder which can work its way through the carpet, and are generally not used on upholstered furniture. Moreover, the powder freshener products, which typically include fragrance added to sodium sulfate, are applied to the carpet with a salt shaker type canister. The powder does not thoroughly cover the rug, so fragrance transfer to carpet, if any, is spotty. In fact, the major freshening from powdered carpet fresheners is actually from the vacuum cleaner; as the powder is removed from the carpet into the vacuum, large volumes of air passing through the vacuum distribute the fragrance into the air. As a result of the tendency to be picked up and redistributed by the vacuuming process the carpet is left with only minor fragrance residual.
Aerosol or pump spray products (typically spraying liquid fresheners with cyclodextrins), while often more effective than powder products, are difficult to visualize on the areas to which the product has been applied. Therefore, the users tend to inadvertently spray the same area twice or miss large areas, because the area of application cannot easily be seen. Because the ultimate action is to absorb malodors, a not insignificant amount of time is required to absorb the odor and for the fabric to dry from the water base of these products. Consumers tend to overspray an area to affect the malodor absorption but because of the time for absorption, they leave the carpet or other fabric wet to the touch for long periods.
It is known to provide carpet cleaning products in the form of a sprayable foam composition and, such cleaning products may often include a perfume or other odorant product in minor amounts. However, such foam carpet/fabric cleaning products also tend to leave the carpet/fabric wet to the touch for extended periods, requiring scrubbing and/or vacuuming to remove residues, and do not provide and are not intended to affect long term freshening or deodorizing effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,148 discloses a carpet cleaning and soil repellant composition which is substantially surfactant free and consists essentially of a water-soluble phosphate and a water-insoluble alumina having a particle size less than 3 microns in a ratio of from 1:1 to 1:35. The compositions may be applied from an aqueous medium and may be provided in the form of an aerosol.
WO 9804666 discloses a foam forming aerosol cleaning composition for rugs, carpets, and the like, including about 0.1 to 6% of foam forming surfactant, about 0.5 to 5% of non-volatile, hydrophobic organic solvent having a water solubility of less than about 18% at 25xc2x0 C., an effective amount of an emulsifier, an effective amount of propellant, and balance water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,934 discloses a biocidal composition for hand and skin disinfection. The composition contains an aqueous alcoholic chlorhexidine solution in an aerosol form, the major component (i.e., 70 to 96.9%) being a quick breaking alcoholic agent which comprises an aliphatic alcohol and a fatty alcohol. Other ingredients of the composition include water, surface active agent and aerosol propellant (3 to 20%) and chlorhexidine (0.1 to 10%). The formulations are stored in corrodible metal containers so further include a corrosion inhibiter.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a composition for freshening or deodorizing fabrics, including carpeting, upholstery and the like, which do not have the above noted drawbacks of powder, pump or non-foam aerosol freshener products or foam cleaning products.
It has now been discovered that fabric freshening agent, such as, fragrance, may be evenly and uniformly distributed in the form of an aerosol foam from an aerosol dispenser, thereby allowing the consumer to see exactly where the product has landed and therefore, cover the entire fabric surface with little or no overlap. Accordingly, the fragrance delivery to the fabric is not spotty or incomplete, and wetness is minimized.
As a foam is a gas entrapped in liquid, less liquid is delivered to treatment areas and drying is much quicker. Therefore, using the compositions of this invention offers the advantages of faster drying, more uniform and thorough application, less product waste, and, of very great significance to the consumer, eliminating the need to vacuum without leaving behind messy salts and powders not removed by vacuuming.
Basically, the present invention provides a non-cleaning foam forming composition for dispensing freshening agent comprising, in its preferred embodiment, solvent, propellant, freshening agent, foaming surfactant, anti-foaming agent, and water, and optionally, but preferably, anti-soilant.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a pressured non-cleaning foam forming composition for dispensing freshener onto a surface requiring deodorizing, comprising a valved vessel containing therein a foamable pressurized composition comprising solvent, freshening agent, foaming surfactant, anti-foaming agent, anti-resoiling agent, water, and propellant, whereby, when dispensed from said valved dispenser onto a surface, the composition forms a visible foam effective to freshen said surface.
Preferably, the foam forming composition will include a small amount (less than the amount required for cleaning) of surface active agent to assist in the foaming process after the composition is dispensed. The composition may also preferably include a small amount of antifoaming agent to assist in the quick breakup or dissipation of foam shortly after the foam has formed on the fabric. An anti-resoiling additive is especially preferred for products intended for use in freshening carpets, but may also be included in products intended for freshening other fabric materials and fabric types.
According to still another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for freshening or deodorizing a fabric such as carpet, upholstery, drapes and the like, which includes the steps of dispensing from an aerosol container a foam containing freshening agent onto a first portion of fabric. The foam preferably contains an effective amount of surface active agent to cause foaming, but an amount ineffective to clean the fabric. The foam contains from about 40 to no more than about 80 percent by weight water or an aqueous organic solvent mixture containing no more than about 5% by weight of the mixture of organic solvent.
According to this invention, the foam remains visible for a time sufficient to allow the user to ascertain the area of coverage and determine whether additional product needs to be applied to the same general area or adjacent area of the carpet, rug or other fabric being treated. Usually, it is sufficient if the foam remains visible for about 30 seconds, although times ranging from about 10 seconds to about 1 minute should be satisfactory for most users to clearly observe the areas where the foam has landed. Thereafter, the foam is allowed to dissipate and air dry. Air drying will be substantially or totally complete in no more than about 5 minutes, and preferably in no more than about 3 minutes. In addition, this method leaves no residual powder or other solids requiring removal by vacuuming or sweeping or other means. The process may be repeated on adjacent or other portions of the fabric until the entire fabric, or part thereof requiring deodorizing or freshening, has been deodorized or freshened.